Events
Parola is "lighthouse" in Spanish. It is a foreign word that had slithered its way into the Filipino language. And although the Tanay Parola had been built in 1960, long after the reign of the Spaniards, it serves as a monument to their enduring influence. Painted a bluish white, a true maritime color scheme, it towers along a wide path of cement and stone, looking out into the vastness of Laguna de Bay. Upon ascending its spiral stairway, one gets to see a 360-degree view of the lake. With silhouettes of mountains discernible from the top of the lighthouse, calm water and blue sky forming the length of the horizon, one should not be surprised if the Parola was an easy source of inspiration for poets and painters.
If you're anything like me, you'd emphatically nod your head when I say there's a constant itch in my system that can only be relieved by going on adventures. This biting urge is always there and never ever goes away, only palliated by seeing and experiencing what the world has to offer. So it's quite a rush for me when I get to go on more than one adventure in one day. Taking in the verdant and cerulean surroundings and feeling the rush of raging water against my skin after exploring what could be the home of diwatas can be likened to a release of copious amounts of endorphin. Oh, I cannot give justice to the exhilaration that had taken hold of me on that phenomenal day!
An hour (more or less) jeepney ride from my beloved hometown is Tanay, Rizal. Famous for its Hane Festival held in November, Tanay offers several things to do for time- and budget-constraint adventurers. Factor in the fact that it's easily accessible from Manila, fellow adventurers should not hesitate to come and visit this lakeside town.
Take Calinawan Cave, for example. Found in Sampaloc, these system of caves, discovered by one Milencio Piguing during the Spanish era, will surely captivate anyone who has no problem with dark, enclosed spaces. If you imagine caves as home to fantastical yet-to-be-discovered creatures and are not claustrophobic, then I highly recommend you unleash your inner spelunker and brave the hallowed halls of Calinawan Cave.
Take Calinawan Cave, for example. Found in Sampaloc, these system of caves, discovered by one Milencio Piguing during the Spanish era, will surely captivate anyone who has no problem with dark, enclosed spaces. If you imagine caves as home to fantastical yet-to-be-discovered creatures and are not claustrophobic, then I highly recommend you unleash your inner spelunker and brave the hallowed halls of Calinawan Cave.
Life is a troll.
Most of the time, it stays perfectly still under the proverbial bridge and lets you walk on unscathed. But just when you're about to start whistling your way into the other side, Life decides to bushwhack you. It launches itself into the air and does a perfect-ten landing on your face.
For quite a while, I haven't been anywhere near social media. It had begun with Facebook, then everything else followed suit. I just decided one day to wipe the slate clean, so to speak. My life needed an overhaul.
I couldn't clearly describe the moment, or the trigger (if there ever was any), that had sent me into severing my ties with the cyber world. And having had acknowledged this vagueness, and because of it, I feel there is all the more reason to provide such a description - no matter how discursive it may be. So I will try to make sense of what had happened, but only to have a sense of closure.
